Democracy Books
Johns Hopkins University Press Beyond Sovereignty Collectively Defending
Book SynopsisAn increase in tolerance is least marked, however, for unilateral action of a coercive nature, which in the Western Hemisphere usually means action that the Unites States has taken on its own initiative.-from the IntroductionTrade ReviewA valuable collection of essays edited by a well-respected law professor and human rights activist who directs the Law and International Relations program at American University, this volume focuses on the tension between collective action for the defense of democracy and traditional notions of sovereignty in the Western Hemisphere. Foreign AffairsTable of ContentsForewordAcknowledgments Chapter 1. Collectively Defending Democracy in the Western Hemisphere: Introduction and OverviewPart I: Theory: Sovereignty and Democracy in the 1990sChapter 2. Changing Perceptions of Domestic Jurisdiction and InterventionChapter 3. Democracy in Latin America: Degrees, Illusions, and Directions for ConsolidationPart II: Practice and Policy: The Role of Nonstate ActorsChapter 4. The United Nations, Democracy, and the AmericasChapter 5. The Organization of American States and the Protection of DemocracyChapter 6. Nongovernmental Organizations, Democracy, and Human Rights in Latin AmericaChapter 7. The International Donor Community: Conditioned Aid and the Promotion and Defense of DemocracyPart III: Practice and Policy: National, Transnational, and Foreign ActorsChapter 8. Haiti: Sovereign Consent Versus State-Centric Sovereignty Chapter 9. El Salvador: Lessons in Peace ConsolidationChapter 10. Chile: External Actors and the Transition to DemocracyChapter 11. Peru: Collectively Defending Democracy in the Western HemisphereChapter 12. International Support for Democratization: A Map and Some Policy Guidelines Derived from the Four Case StudiesChapter 13. External Pressures and Domestic Constraints: The Lessons of the Four Case StudiesPart IV: Two Impending ChallengesChapter 14. Cuba in the International Community in the 1990s: Sovereignty, Human Rights, and DemocracyChapter 15. Treading Lightly and Without a Stick: International Actors and the Promotion of Democracy in Mexico NotesNotes on ContributorsIndex
£26.12
Liberty Fund Inc Democracy in America
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£17.05
Cambridge University Press Good Governance in Nigeria
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£28.49
Cambridge University Press The Rise of Mass Parties Liberal Italy and the
Book SynopsisThrough an in-depth study of the electoral process, the aim of this Element is to analyse the political transformations that occurred in Italy from 1919 to 1924. After the takeover of the low chamber by the mass integration parties in 1919 - Popular and Socialist - concerns grew within the liberal camp. The argument of this Element is that the conservatives failed to adapt and remain competitive in a system characterised by universal suffrage, thereby paving the way for the rise of the fascists. The electoral path to power begins with the political elections of 1921, continues through the renewal of the municipal councils in 1922?23, and concludes with the elections of 1924 when Mussolini managed to take control of the low chamber. The Duce assumed the role of head of the nation, presenting a list of candidates-the Listone-that included members of the Fascist Party and the former politica elite.
£17.00
Taylor & Francis The Routledge Handbook of Collective Intelligence
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£42.74
Taylor & Francis Reinventing Governance in a Volatile World
Book Synopsis
£34.19
Taylor & Francis Visions of A Sane Society
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£37.04
Cambridge University Press After the Arab Uprisings
Book SynopsisWhy were some, but not all the Arab mass social protests of 2011 accompanied by relatively quick and nonviolent outcomes in the direction of regime change, democracy, and social transformation? Why was a democratic transition limited to Tunisia, and why did region-wide democratization not occur? After the Arab Uprisings offers an explanatory framework to answer these central questions, based on four key themes: state and regime type, civil society, gender relations and women''s mobilizations, and external influence. Applying these to seven cases: Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, Bahrain, Libya, Syria, and Yemen, Valentine M. Moghadam and Shamiran Mako highlight the salience of domestic and external factors and forces, uniquely presenting women''s legal status, social positions, and organizational capacity, along with the presence or absence of external intervention, as key elements in explaining the divergent outcomes of the Arab Spring uprisings, and extending the analysis to the present dayTrade Review'In their sweeping comparative analysis of the divergent outcomes of the Arab Spring, Mako and Moghadam not only highlight the importance of women's activism; they prove it was a fundamental determinant of those outcomes. This is a novel and powerful analysis that will be essential for understanding MENA since 2010.' Jack A. Goldstone, George Mason University'A brilliant multi-level and cross-national study of why the Arab Spring resulted in dramatically different outcomes for the Arab countries involved. Fine-grained top down and granular bottom up analyses of the causes of violent versus nonviolent responses to legitimate protests. Critical insights into lessons for democratic possibilities /or authoritarian regime pathways in a vital and contested region of the world. Must read for students of history and the Middle East.' Suad Joseph, University of California, Davis'Mako and Moghadam present an expansive and thought-provoking analysis of the Arab uprisings and their aftermath that, unlike many studies, pays careful attention to factors that others skim over or else entirely ignore. In addition to the role of diverse civil society organization and the role of women, they center the role of external actors in shaping the direction and outcome of the individual uprisings. This theoretically and empirically rich analysis will be a must read not only for scholars of the Middle East, but for the fields of social movements, democratization, and contentious politics as well.' Jillian Schwedler, City University of New York'a bracing assessment of revolution, repression, and war … The book stands to inform a broad range of academics and nonspecialists seeking to understand how the Arab world has changed - sometimes for better, often for worse - and where the region is headed.' Jason M. Brownlee, The Middle East JournalTable of Contents1. Introduction and Overview; 2. Pathways to Democratization: The Arab Spring in Comparative Perspective; 3. States and Political Institutions; 4. Civil Society; 5. Gender and Women's Mobilizations; 6. International Connections and Interventions; 7. Findings and Conclusions.
£22.99
Cambridge University Press Crises of Democracy
Book SynopsisIs democracy in crisis? The current threats to democracy are not just political: they are deeply embedded in the democracies of today, in current economic, social, and cultural conditions. In Crises of Democracy, Adam Przeworski presents a panorama of the political situation throughout the world of established democracies, places it in the context of past misadventures of democratic regimes, and speculates on the prospects. Our present state of knowledge does not support facile conclusions. ''We should not believe the flood of writings that have all the answers''. Avoiding technical aspects, this book is addressed not only to professional social scientists, but to everyone concerned about the prospects of democracy.Trade Review'The mood in the democratic world these days is one of pessimism, but we are fortunate to have one of the grandmasters of comparative politics to help us understand the situation. Crises of Democracy is incisive, clear and full of insights into where we have been and where we might go.' Tom Ginsburg, Leo Spitz Professor of Law, University of Chicago'In this sober, highly illuminating look at the shaky state of democracy around the world, Adam Przeworski seeks to understand the causes of the explosion of populist, anti-establishment forces that have overtaken mature democracies in Europe and have resulted in the election of Donald Trump in the United States. Every page is chock full of insights. Przeworski, arguably the most brilliant comparativist of our time, carefully defines 'democracy crisis' and shows why many mature democracies are facing one now.' Mitchell A. Seligson, Centennial Professor of Political Science, Vanderbilt University, Tennessee'In the age of Trump, Putin, and Brexit, ordinary people and pundits alike increasingly wonder whether democracy is in a crisis or even danger. The flood of explanations ranges from factors as different as the decline of traditional parties, rising economic inequality, and the emergence of social media - to name just a few. What is sorely lacking is a perspective that separates what is unique about the present moment from what is history just repeating itself. Adam Przeworski, the world's leading authority on democracy and democratization, delivers precisely that - and he does so with an unparalleled historical perspective and the rigor of modern social science.' Milan Svolik, Yale University, Connecticut'The wealth of information and lucid narrative make Crises of Democracy an informative read.' Michal Boncza, Morning Star'This is a book by a remarkable man about a topic of immense importance and great urgency which he has been studying from one angle or another for most of his adult life. Its conclusions are careful, tentative and disconcerting. It is neither partisan nor melodramatic, yet also resolutely undidactic an object lesson in how to think seriously about politics but leave your readers better equipped to go on doing so coherently for themselves.' John Dunn, Society'… a major contribution to the comparative politics literature—and a must-read for political scientists and educated citizens concerned about the fate of democratic institutions in the contemporary era.' Stephen E. Hanson, Perspectives on PoliticsTable of Contents1. Introduction; Part I. The Past: Crises of Democracy: 2. General patterns; 3. Some stories; 4. Lessons from history: what to look for?; Part II. The Present: What Is Happening?: 5. The signs; 6. Potential causes; 7. Where to seek explanations?; 8. What may be unprecedented?; Part III. The Future?: 9. How democracy works; 10. Subversion by stealth; 11. What can and cannot happen?
£20.89
Cambridge University Press Democracy at Work
Book SynopsisOne of the greatest challenges in the twenty-first century is to address large, deep, and historic deficits in human development. Democracy at Work explores a crucial question: how does democracy, with all of its messy, contested, and, time-consuming features, advance well-being and improve citizens'' lives? Professors Brian Wampler, Natasha Borges Sugiyama, and Michael Touchton argue that differences in the local robustness of three democratic pathways - participatory institutions, rights-based social programs, and inclusive state capacity - best explain the variation in how democratic governments improve well-being. Using novel data from Brazil and innovative analytic techniques, the authors show that participatory institutions permit citizens to express voice and exercise vote, inclusive social programs promote citizenship rights and access to public resources, and more capable local states use public resources according to democratic principles of rights protections and equal accesTrade Review'This important book documents the existence of a significant 'democracy advantage' in the form of Brazilian municipalities that have been able to improve a number of key social indicators by expanding participatory institutions, adopting rights-based social programs, and building local state capacity. Given the multiple crises that have beset Brazil's national-level politics in recent years, the publication of Democracy at Work is especially timely as a reminder that local actors can construct their own pathways to well-being.' Kent Eaton, University of California, Santa Cruz'Democracy at Work convincingly demonstrates that 'thicker democracy' really does improve social outcomes. The authors deploy the analytical leverage of the subnational comparative method, grounded in extraordinary empirical evidence, to show both the independent and interactive effects of participatory public institutions, inclusive safety nets and capable local governments.' Jonathan Fox, Accountability Research Center, School of International Service, American University'Democracy at Work is an impressive, even exemplary, piece of scholarship.' Jared Abbott and Benjamin Goldfrank, Comparative Politics'Wampler, Sugiyama, and Touchton's exciting book Democracy at Work promises a deep dive into the black box of democracy with all of its 'messy, contested, and time-consuming features' … Democracy at Work is sure to become essential reading for any student of participatory democracy and developmental studies, as well as anyone seeking to understand the micro-level pathways that cultivate well-being beyond the broad stroke of economic growth and regime type.' Maggie Shum, The Developing EconomiesTable of ContentsIntroduction; 1. Democracy at work; 2. Building pathways for change; 3. Research design, methods, and variables; 4. Reducing poverty: broadening access to income; 5. Improving health: saving lives; 6. Empowering women: saving mothers and enhancing opportunities; 7. Educating society: promoting public education and learning; 8. Pathways at work: lessons from Brazil's poor Northeast; Conclusion: how democracy improves well-being.
£30.38
Cambridge University Press We Hold These Truths
Book SynopsisThis book presents a self-contained and accessible economic analysis of American politics. Chapters address voters, political parties, the media, Congress, the Presidency, and the Supreme Court. Maurer explains how the Framers' design usually encourages moderation – but can also veer into the kind of dangerously divisive politics we know today.Trade Review'Stephen Maurer addresses the challenge of current American political polarization by assuming the Framers of the US Constitution made accurate diagnoses of the problem but prescriptions that need updating in the light of modern social science. This approach yields insights that will intrigue students of political institutions everywhere.' Paul Seabright, Toulouse School of Economics, author of The Company of Strangers: A Natural History of Economic Life'Whither American democracy in this age of polarization? How has the institutional design of the 1780s played through the history since? How have we been theorizing about that design, and how should we be? For one thing, James Madison meet Anthony Downs. But that is not all. Steeped in theory, history, vast scholarship, and alert to current vexations, this book is an invigorating read.' David R. Mayhew, Sterling Professor of Political Science Emeritus, Yale UniversityTable of ContentsIntroduction; 1. Updating the framers; 2. The people: from individuals to communities; 3. Selling policy: political narratives & ideologies; 4. The public forum: mass media and the web; 5. Mass democracy: political parties and elections; 6. The 'extended republic': communities, states & regions; 7. Making law: the congress; 8. Implementing law: the executive; 9. Interpreting law: the courts; 10. Democracy evolving: the future of American politics.
£28.50
Taylor & Francis Ltd Rethinking American Electoral Democracy
Book SynopsisWhile frustration with various aspects of American democracy abound in the United States, there is little agreement overor even understanding ofwhat kinds of changes would make the system more effective and increase political participation. Matthew J. Streb sheds much-needed light on all the major concerns of the electoral process in the thoroughly revised third edition of this timely book on improving American electoral democracy. This critical examination of the rules and institutional arrangements that shape the American electoral process analyzes the major debates that embroil scholars and reformers on subjects ranging from the number of elections we hold and the use of nonpartisan elections, to the presidential nominating process and campaign finance laws. Ultimately, Streb argues for a less burdensome democracy, a democracy in which citizens can participate more easily in transparent, competitive elections. This book is designed to get students of elections Trade Review"From voter ID laws to the Electoral College to redistricting to campaign finance, election law in the United States is loaded with controversy. In the latest edition of Rethinking American Electoral Democracy, Matt Streb cuts through the partisan rhetoric over how we run elections in the US, giving us evidence and reasoned argument for how to make our democracy better. You may not agree with all of his solutions, but you will admire Streb's straight talk, common sense, and logic."– Richard L. Hasen, University of California—Irvine and author of Plutocrats United: Campaign Money, the Supreme Court, and the Distortion of American Elections"Rethinking American Electoral Democracy does more than challenge students to think critically about the peculiar way in which Americans conduct their elections. It sparks students to argue about how best to fix the nation’s electoral institutions. No reader will agree with all the reforms Streb proposes—and that is precisely what makes it such an invaluable teaching tool. Assign this book and invite your students to join in a profoundly important debate about what’s wrong with American electoral democracy and how we can fix it."– Richard J. Ellis, Willamette University"Our political system is so complex and produces so much inequality that it can often be challenging to consider where a reform agenda should even begin. In this book, Streb helps to direct our attention to some of the most significant problems with the current system and proposes a sensible set of reforms that would make for a more robust and equal democratic system. It is a worthwhile read for scholars and the general public alike."– Brian Schaffner, University of Massachusetts—Amherst"By finding just the right balance of theory, empirical data, analysis, and examples, Streb has produced a text that students will find both accessible and engaging. His transparent critical approach is a refreshing contribution to the study of American electoral democracy."– Richard Holtzman, Bryant University"Matthew Streb’s latest edition of Rethinking American Electoral Democracy is an engaging and thoughtful analysis of how election rules stand in the way of a 'better, smarter democracy.' At a time when young people are increasingly disillusioned with politics, Streb offers intriguing ideas for reform. Students will appreciate Streb’s clarity and brevity. Instructors will find this book thorough and scholarly."– Rodd Freitag, University of Wisconsin-Eau ClaireTable of Contents1. Creating a Model Electoral Democracy PART I: Rethinking the Costs of Voting 2. Factors that Influence Voter Turnout 3. The Offices We Elect 4. Direct Democracy PART II: Rethinking the Mechanics of Voting 5. Ballot Laws 6. Voting Machines PART III: Rethinking National Elections 7. The Redistricting Process 8. Presidential Primaries 9. The Electoral College 10. Campaign Finance 11. Conclusion: Moving Toward a Model Electoral Democracy
£51.29
Amberley Publishing When Russia Did Democracy
Book SynopsisBetween the end of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the new millennium, Russia went through a unique moment â genuine democracy. In this fascinating and absorbing book, Kenneth MacInnes explores not just the 1990s â when he lived and worked in Russia â but the entire history of Russian democracy, from the earliest days right up to President Putin.
£19.54
Edinburgh University Press Populism and Time
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£76.50
State University of New York Press Democracy at the Ballpark
Book SynopsisExamines how the national pastime of baseball has the capacity to shape politics and American democracy.What is the relationship between sports and politics? Often, politics are thought to be serious, whereas sports are diversionary and apolitical. Using baseball as a case study, Democracy at the Ballpark challenges this understanding, examining politics as they emerge at the ballpark around spectatorship, community, equality, virtue, and technology. Thomas David Bunting argues that because spectators invest time and meaning in baseball, the game has power as a metaphor for understanding and shaping politics. The stories people see in baseball mirror how they see the country, politics, and themselves. As a result, democracy resides not only in exclusive halls tread by elites but also in a stadium full of average people together under an open sky. Democracy at the Ballpark bridges political theory and sport, providing a new way of thinking about baseball. It also demonstrates the democratic potential of spectatorship and rethinks the role of everyday institutions like sport in shaping our political lives, offering an expanded view of democracy.
£65.04
Hodder Education Higher Modern Studies: Democracy in Scotland and
Book SynopsisExam Board: SQALevel: HigherSubject: Modern StudiesFirst Teaching: August 2018First Exam: June 2019A course textbook covering the most recent political developments and fully updated to take on board the latest SQA course assessment changes. Written specifically to match the Higher syllabus offered by the Scottish Qualifications Authority, Democracy in Scotland and the UK covers all of the topics that students will encounter in this unit of the course: UK constitutional arrangements, representative democracy and the political process, electoral systems and voting behaviour. - Questions to help monitor progress throughout the topics - Case studies and fact files to focus attention on specific areas - Assessment guides to prepare students for the final exam
£28.29
Manchester University Press Held in Contempt: What’S Wrong with the House of
Book SynopsisParliament, and the House of Commons in particular, is increasingly held in contempt by the British public. From attending parties during the Covid-19 lockdown to taking payment for lobbying, MPs undermine their credibility by acting as if the rules they set for others should not apply to them. Still far from representative of the country they govern from the ancient and crumbling Palace of Westminster, MPs appear detached from the lives led by their constituents – conducting their business according to rules and procedures that have become too complex for many of them to understand.Hannah White offers a perceptive critique of the shortcomings of the House of Commons, arguing that the reputation of the Commons is in a downward spiral - compounded by government attempts to side-line parliament during Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic. At a time of populist challenge to representative democracy, this book is an essential rallying cry for Members of Parliament to reform the House of Commons – equipping it to fulfil its important role as a cornerstone of our democracy – or see it fade into irrelevance.Trade ReviewAs featured on BBC Radio 4's Week in Westminster, World at One and Bloomberg WestminsterOne of Sam Freedman's Books of the Year 2022'Hannah White casts an expert and forensic eye at how parliament works, or often doesn’t. Her conclusion that only a crisis will drive change is realistic - and a spur to all those who want reform, both inside and out, to act.'Ben Page, CEO, Ipsos Mori'Based on her extensive experience at the heart of parliament, Hannah White paints a compelling picture of what’s gone wrong with our democracy in general and the Palace of Westminster in particular. A decaying building housing a decayed and democratically bankrupt political system, unrepresentative of the voters’ choices, cut off from the wider country and ensnared with procedures and traditions which have no place in a modern democracy. As White so powerfully demonstrates, the UK urgently needs democratic renewal, a fairer voting system and a system of government in which people can have trust and confidence.'Caroline Lucas, Green Party MP for Brighton, Pavilion'This is an essential book for anyone who is, has been, or wants to be an MP and, in fact, anyone who wants to know why the House of Commons is held in such low regard today. Hannah White thoroughly examines why public trust in the House of Commons is now so low – perfectly encapsulated, as she points out, by the inability of MPs and Ministers to decide how to restore and renew the Palace of Westminster as it literally crumbles around them. The question for those who are elected after they’ve read the book is what is to be done about this sad state of affairs?'Baroness Nicky Morgan, Former Conservative MP'Brexit and the pandemic have shown both how important parliamentary procedure is and how ripe it is for reform. Hannah White argues persuasively that for the public to have confidence in the Commons, they should stand a chance of understanding how it works.'Karen Bradley, Conservative MP and Chair of Procedure Committee'Takes you inside parliament for a vivid explanation of how our politics works…or sometimes doesn’t work.'Adam Fleming, BBC Senior Political Correspondent'The UK parliament may not be under physical attack like the US Congress in January 2021 but it is assailed on all sides and under serious threat. Hannah White throws a light on the dangers and the ways to rescue it. Anyone who cares about parliamentary democracy should read this book.'Gary Gibbon, Political Editor, Channel 4 News'If you have ever wondered why some politicians think it’s ok to break or bend the rules or have asked yourself what it is about the culture of Westminster that allows some of its inhabitants to think of themselves as a class apart , then this is the book for you. Hannah White is one of our finest commentators on all things Westminster.'Carolyn Quinn, journalist, BBC'In her important new book, Held in Contempt, Hannah White details the parlous state of the UK parliament. She does so with the even temper and forensic skill of someone who used to be a clerk in the House of Commons and is now the deputy director of the Institute for Government.'Edward Docx, Times Literary Supplement 'British schoolchildren are sometimes taught that our democracy is 'the envy of the world.’ If this is true it is surprising that the only other European country which elects its main legislature by the British First Past the Post system is that of Belarus, the country of Vladimir Putin’s ally, Alexander Lukashenko. In Held in Contempt Dr Hannah White gets beneath the complacency that underpins much of our democratic debate and asks ‘What’s Gone Wrong With The House of Commons?’ The answer is that, rather like the Palace of Westminster itself, our political system is rooted in the past, decayed and crumbling. Lucid, provocative and extremely persuasive, if you want to know what has gone wrong with our politics, Held in Contempt argues that it is not just a few wrongheaded policies or occasionally incompetent politicians. It is a systems failure at the heart of our democracy.’Gavin Esler, broadcaster and author of How Britain Ends'Held in contempt is a book for those who care about the UK Parliament and those who do not. It is a must read for students of British politics and a good read for the public too – pacey, engaging, and clearly articulated. A former House of Commons Clerk, Hannah White makes an impassioned and substantiated argument: MPs, individually and collectively, as well as the Government should, in the face of declining trust in the institution, reflect on and change the House’s governance, the form and format of its many written and unwritten rules, and their own behaviour. The "downward spiral" must be stemmed.'Sarah Childs, Professor of Politics and Gender, University of Edinburgh'If you’re looking for a reliable account of the extent of government control over Parliament and why it is indeed excessive, try Hannah White’s Held in Contempt'George Peretz KC 'This book is essential reading for anyone who cares about the future of our parliamentary democracy. Hannah White offers an incisive account of why Parliament matters, why it is under threat, and what needs to change if we are to prevent "the inevitable decline of our key democratic institution."'Robert Saunders, Reader in British History, Queen Mary, University of London'We must hope that MPs read it. And since good governance needs an independent and effective legislature, ministers would be wise to act on it too.'Dominic Grieve, Prospect Magazine'An eloquent and impartial critique of the arcane mechanics of Westminster, Dr Hannah White’s debut book is a timely and fantastic tool for unpicking the workings of Parliament.' Karen Bradley MP, The House Magazine -- .Table of ContentsIntroduction1 Side-lined2 Unrepresentative 3 Arcane4 Exceptionalist5 Decaying Conclusion: A parliament to be proud ofReferencesIndex
£12.99
Manchester University Press Depleting Democracies: Radical Right Impact on
Book SynopsisDepleting democracies provides an analysis of the radical right’s interactions with mainstream parties and the effect they have on setting political agendas in sensitive areas such as minority policies and asylum regulations. It asks to what extent the radical right has changed the quality of democracy in Eastern Europe: does its electoral strength, its capacity for political blackmail and its coalition potential actually translate into impact?The book compares three groups of countries that are distinct in terms of the relevance of radical right parties: Bulgaria and Slovakia; Hungary, Poland and Romania; and the Czech Republic and Estonia. It follows a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative analysis of survey data with qualitative, comparative analysis of archival material and other texts to determine the causal role radical right parties play in influencing parties, policies and ultimately democratic quality in the seven countries.Depleting democracies advances theory on radical right actors in the political process and contributes to empirical research across the region. Its results are particularly relevant to the debate on democratic transformation and the effects of radical right parties.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1 Conceptualizing the radical right and its impact: from politics to policies to polity2 Cases and contexts: countries and parties, culture and politics3 Position shifts: radical right impact on mainstream parties4 Policy shifts: radical right impact on policies regarding minority and asylum issues 5 Polity shifts: the radical right and democratic quality in the regionConclusionAppendixIndex
£76.50
PublicAffairs,U.S. The Case For Democracy: The Power of Freedom to
Book SynopsisNatan Sharansky believes that the truest expression of democracy is the ability to stand in the middle of a town square and express one's views without fear of imprisonment. He should know. A dissident in the USSR, Sharansky was jailed for nine years for challenging Soviet policies. During that time he reinforced his moral conviction that democracy is essential to both protecting human rights and maintaining global peace and security. Sharansky was catapulted onto the Israeli political stage in 1996. In the last eight years, he has served as a minister in four different Israeli cabinets, including a stint as Deputy Prime Minister, playing a key role in government decision making from the peace negotiations at Wye to the war against Palestinian terror. In his views, he has been as consistent as he has been stubborn: Tyranny, whether in the Soviet Union or the Middle East, must always be made to bow before democracy. Drawing on a lifetime of experience of democracy and its absence, Sharansky believes that only democracy can safeguard the well-being of societies. For Sharansky, when it comes to democracy, politics is not a matter of left and right, but right and wrong. This is a passionately argued book from a man who carries supreme moral authority to make the case he does here: that the spread of democracy everywhere is not only possible, but also essential to the survival of our civilization. His argument is sure to stir controversy on all sides this is arguably the great issue of our times.
£16.19
Encounter Books,USA The Revolt Against the Masses: How Liberalism Has
Book SynopsisWhat we think of as liberalism today--the top and bottom coalition we associate with President Obama--began not with Progressivism or the new deal, but rather in the wake of the post-WWI disillusionment with American society. The Revolt Against the Masses explores the inner life of American liberalism over the past 90 years, beginning with liberalism's foundational writers and thinkers--such as Herbert Croly, Randolph Bourne, H.G. Wells, Sinclair Lewis, and H.L. Mencken--who despised the new worlds of mass production, mass politics, mass culture. These liberals sought to establish a true aristocracy that would serve as a counterpoint to the debasements of modern society. It was then in the seminal 1920s, that the strong strain of snobbery and contempt for the middle class, so pervasive today in the Hamptons, the New Yorker, HBO, and the Sierra Club, first defined liberalism. Today's brand of Barack Obama liberalism has gone further, displacing the old Main Street middle class with public sector workers, crony capitalists, and those elite arbiters of style and taste Siegel calls the liberal gentry. The Revolt Against the Masses explains how this came to be and why liberals continue to insist they act on behalf of the best interests of the middle class, even if the damned fools don't know it.
£16.07
Grove Press / Atlantic Monthly Press How the West Stole Democracy from the Arabs: The
Book SynopsisWhen Europe's Great War engulfed the Ottoman Empire, Arab nationalists rose in revolt against their Turkish rulers and allied with the British on the promise of an independent Arab state. In October 1918, the Arabs' military leader, Prince Faisal, victoriously entered Damascus and proclaimed a constitutional government in an independent Greater Syria.Faisal won American support for self-determination at the Paris Peace Conference, but other Entente powers plotted to protect their colonial interests. Under threat of European occupation, the Syrian-Arab Congress declared independence on March 8, 1920 and crowned Faisal king of a 'civil representative monarchy.' Sheikh Rashid Rida, the most prominent Islamic thinker of the day, became Congress president and supervised the drafting of a constitution that established the world's first Arab democracy and guaranteed equal rights for all citizens, including non-Muslims.But France and Britain refused to recognize the Damascus government and instead imposed a system of mandates on the pretext that Arabs were not yet ready for self-government. In July 1920, the French invaded and crushed the Syrian state. The fragile coalition of secular modernizers and Islamic reformers that had established democracy was destroyed, with profound consequences that reverberate still.Using previously untapped primary sources, including contemporary newspaper accounts, reports of the Syrian-Arab Congress, and letters and diaries from participants, How the West Stole Democracy from the Arabs is a groundbreaking account of an extraordinary, brief moment of unity and hope - and of its destruction.Trade ReviewElizabeth F. Thompson has brilliantly recreated this fateful turning point in twentieth century Middle Eastern history. I thought I knew this story well. But the new details she reveals in this riveting account often left me open-mouthed. * James Barr, author of A LINE IN THE SAND *A bold and important book. Through brilliant scholarship and engaging prose, Thompson pieces together the Arab constitutional order that European imperialism shattered in the aftermath of World War I. Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand a century of conflict in the modern Middle East. * Eugene Rogan, author of THE FALL OF THE OTTOMANS *Harnessing meticulous research to careful analysis; moving among international diplomacy, personal interactions, and local politics, Thompson expertly argues that after World War I, the fate of Ottoman Arab lands was not merely contested but that radically different outcomes for independence, constitutional government, and liberal arrangements were very live possibilities, far more so than is generally remembered. * Nathan J. Brown, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University *Elizabeth Thompson, in a sweeping and magisterial argument, demonstrates that the perpetual hand-wringing in London, Paris and Washington over the lack of democracy in the Arab World is sort of like Jack the Ripper complaining about the high murder rate. Breath-taking in its moral clarity. * Juan Cole, Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History, University of Michigan *An outstanding book on the attempts by Western actors to not only reverse democracy in Syria in the early 20th century, but also to deliberately conceal the reality of this reversal. Through rich archival research, Thompson puts forward an important and fascinating corrective to conventional and longstanding accounts. -- Amaney A. Jamal, Edwards S. Sanford Professor of Politics, Princeton UniversityElizabeth Thompson has successfully combined her mastery of the immensely complex relationship between the Middle East and the West during World War I with her capacity for excellent storytelling...an essential read. -- Leila Fawaz, author of A LAND OF ACHING HEARTSThis eye-popping work of history reveals the extent to which Europe is complicit in the failure of democracy in many parts of the Middle East... A necessary work of history in an era when the region, as ever, is treated as having "ancient hatreds" at the root of its problems. The appearance of Thompson's book gives yet another important corrective to this historical myopia. -- John Freeman * Lit Hub’s Most Anticipated Books of 2020 *[A] recounting of the short-lived Syrian Arab Kingdom (comprised of the modern states of Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria) and its betrayal by Western powers... succeeds in making the case that the West's betrayal of Syria set the stage for a century of regional strife. This expertly researched account brings to life a meaningful but underexplored chapter in world history. * Publishers Weekly *An impassioned argument that the Arabs of Greater Syria who fought for the Allies in World War I, deeply committed to the Wilsonian notion of self-determination, were robbed of their chance at democracy... Thompson fashions an original, authoritative study, laying out the process of the "theft" of Syrian democracy. * Kirkus Reviews *Table of ContentsPART I: AN ARAB STATE IN SYRIA 1: Damascus: Enter the Prince 2: Aleppo: A Government and Justice for All 3: Cairo: A Sheikh Prays to an American President PART II: A CHILLY PEACE AT PARIS 4: Wooing Woodrow Wilson 5: The Covenant and the Colonial Color Line 6: A Sip of Champagne, with a Sour Aftertaste PART III: SYRIA'S DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE 7: The Syrian Congress and the American Commission 8: A Democratic Uprising in Damascus 9: Revolution at the Quai d'Orsay 10: The Prince, the Sheikh, and "The Day of Resurrection" 11: Wilsonism Colonized at San Remo PART IV: THE CONSTITUTION: A CIVIL WEAPON AGAINST COLONIZATION 12: The Sheikh versus the King: A Parliamentary Revolution 13: Women's Suffrage and the Limits of Islamic Law 14: A Democratic Constitution for Christians and Muslims PART V: SYRIA'S EXPULSION FROM THE CIVILIZED WORLD 15: Battle Plans for Syria 16: The French Ultimatum and Faisal's Dissolution of Congress 17: Maysalun: The Arab State's Last Stand 18: Wilson's Ghost in Geneva Epilogue: Parting of Ways-The Liberal, the Sheikh, and the King Appendix A: Members of Congress in March 1920 Appendix B: The Syrian Declaration of Independence, March 8, 1920 Appendix C: The Syrian Constitution of July 19, 1920
£12.34
OR Books Join the Resistance
Book SynopsisResisting the Right is a handbook for surviving a far-right take-over of the United States. Today, that prospect is a frightening reality. It threatens the irreversible destruction of America’s democratic system. In a powerful and necessary intervention, Robert Edwards urges that we prepare now for this nightmarish scenario, the better to resist and transcend it. Edwards shows how a right-wing autocracy can be combatted using political action, civil disobedience, economics, cyberspace, traditional media, social media, the arts, and even our personal relationships. A former US Army intelligence officer who now works as a successful screenwriter, Edwards draws on his military training to assess “the threat,” and his storyteller’s imagination to play out likely scenarios. At a time when the future of American democracy teeters on a cliff edge, the urgency of Resisting the Right
£14.99
Verso Books The Break-Up of Britain: Crisis and
Book SynopsisIn this classic text, first published in 1977, Tom Nairn memorably depicts the 'slow foundering' of the United Kingdom on the rocks of imperial decline, constitutional anachronism and the gathering force of civic nationalism. Rich in comparisons between the nationalisms of the British Isles and those of the wider world, thoughtful in its treatment of the interaction between nationality and social class, The Break-Up of Britain concludes with a bravura essay on the Janus-faced nature of national identity. Postscripts from the Thatcher and Blair years trace the political strategies whose upshot accelerated the demise of a British state they were intended to serve. As a second Scottish independence referendum beckons, a new Introduction by Anthony Barnett underlines the book's enduring relevance.Trade ReviewThe most forceful and original mind to confront, demask and anatomise the British state. The perception that Great Britain was a multinational state and not a united nation had never quite been lost over the centuries, but it was Tom Nairn who almost single-handedly hammered this truth into the skull of British intellectuals and campaigners until it became - as it is today - practically uncontested by the political class -- Neal AschersonThe Break-Up of Britain is Tom Nairn's greatest book. A potent and long-lasting challenge * Scotsman *Tom Nairn pioneered critical retrospect of the United Kingdom, and scandalised people by looking forward calmly to its disintegration. This in a style of extraordinary vigour and beauty - and not least humour: writing as democratic as his own unswerving politics -- Perry AndersonTom Nairn's fundamental insight was to recognise that the United Kingdom was an imperial construct, and that the ties that once bound the people of these islands were fraying * New Statesman *More than anyone else, Tom Nairn has shaped how we think about the United Kingdom and its creaking constitutional architecture. The national conversation he started, the national journey he so profoundly shaped in his work, is far from over * Herald *Powerful and prophetic. Nairn is perhaps Britain's most perceptive and ambitious national storyteller, an audaciously creative stylist. -- New Statesman * Rory Scothorne *Combines often stunning writing with immense knowledge of literature, history, and political philosophy ... Nairn has made a priceless contribution towards a desperately needed new discourse. * The Hindu *The most significant book on British politics of the past half-century -- Anthony Barnett * openDemocracy *
£16.14
Verso Books Democracy Against Capitalism: Renewing Historical
Book SynopsisHistorian and political thinker Ellen Meiksins Wood argues that theories of "postmodern" fragmentation, "difference", and contingency can barely accommodate the idea of capitalism, let alone subject it to critique. In this book she sets out to renew the critical programme of historical materialism by redefining its basic concepts and its theory of history in original and imaginative ways, using them to identify the specificity of capitalism as a system of social relations and political power. She goes on to explore the concept of democracy in both the ancient and modern world, examining its relation to capitalism, and raising questions about how democracy might go beyond the limits imposed on it.Trade ReviewReading a Wood essay is a shock to the system, demanding the reader take a position, often leaving you invigorated and slightly bruised in the process. -- Michael Watson * Red Pepper *
£21.68
Oneworld Publications Can Democracy Work?: A Short History of a Radical
Book SynopsisDemocracy today is widely regarded as an ideal form of government. Yet in practice it sometimes seems a sham, a political puppet show in which hidden elites pull all the strings. As trust in elected representatives around the world plunges, it is no wonder that democratic revolts have erupted – from Cairo to Kiev and beyond – in an effort to ‘take back control’. In this urgent and lively history, James Miller reminds us that democracy has always generated tensions and contradictions. Through philosophical debates and violent uprisings, it has been contested, corrupted, and refined. In different times and different places – from ancient Athens to revolutionary France to post-war America – its meaning has shifted in surprising ways. For over two thousand years, the world has experimented with democracy. But can it really work – especially in complex modern societies?Trade Review‘An attractively broad and accessible account of democracy from the Greeks to the present… Particularly timely.’ * New York Review of Books *‘What makes the book compelling is its focus on colorful thinkers, activists, and political leaders who lived and breathed the democratic moment throughout history… Miller shows that democracy’s ascent is best seen not as a gradual unfolding of a political principle driven by reason and moral destiny but rather as a grand roller coaster ride of struggle, revolution, and backlash. Today’s populist outbursts look quite ordinary alongside this history.’ * Foreign Affairs *‘In this smart, tremendously readable history, Miller tackles the paradox at the centre of the democratic dream… Both challenging and accessible, this title is highly recommended.’ * Booklist, starred review *‘The strength of this book lies…in the exquisite portraits it paints of characters who stand behind the immortalized Pericles, Robespierre, and Thomas Jefferson… [Miller] forces the reader to sit up and realize that history isn’t a definitive greyed parchment beyond reproach, but actually a living force constantly capable of new interpretation and meaning in our current world… Like the ekklesia in Athens, the constituent assembly in Versailles, and the soviet in Petrograd – Can Democracy Work? offers insightful context on how our own body politic will survive these turbulent times.’ * Christian Science Monitor *‘Distinguished historian of ideas James Miller’s short history of democracy and its different meanings is both compulsive and compulsory reading for our sometimes shockingly disenchanted times. Ever optimistic, Miller remains enamoured of his native United States’s striking experiment in cosmopolitan self-governance, and stands proudly and persuasively tall for liberal – and democratic – ideals.’ -- Paul Cartledge, author of Democracy: A Life‘This is a bold, eloquent, and utterly convincing history of what democracy has meant and should mean – from the Assembly of Ancient Greece to the anti-Trump resistance. James Miller has produced one of the wisest reflections on the glories and limits of popular rule I have ever read.’ -- Michael Kazin, author of War Against War: The American Fight for Peace, 1914–1918‘At the very moment of democracy’s apparent endangerment, one of its best friends offers up the most capacious and inspiring history of it ever composed. From the Greeks to the present, Miller’s light touch and profound insight join each other on every page to make this a truly indispensable work for the present crisis.’ -- Samuel Moyn, author of Not Enough: Human Rights in an Unequal World‘No one is better qualified to wrestle with the riddle of democracy than James Miller, which is why I have been eagerly awaiting this brilliant and necessary book. Can Democracy Work? is an eloquent, clear-eyed account of democracy’s myriad challenges. This concise and compelling history deserves to be read and debated by all of us who still dare to dream of a society of equals. These pages left me feeling better prepared and reinvigorated to work toward a more democratic future.’ -- Astra Taylor, director of What is Democracy? and author of The People’s Platform‘James Miller, who has illuminated democracy’s radical possibilities, now offers some sharp reflections on how those possibilities have fared over the centuries. At a moment when the very meaning of the word is up for grabs, Miller brings us back to philosophical essentials as forged by contingency, contradiction, and human folly. Refreshing and unsettling, here is some political intelligence in a dark and confusing time.’ -- Sean Wilentz, author of The Rise of American Democracy‘This sharp, spirited, engaged intellectual history of democracy, including its recent and often loose coupling with liberalism, combines an appraisal of both inherent and situational pitfalls with an appreciation of redemptive possibilities. If democracy is protean, what matters, this rich work teaches, is the quality of our normative choices and institutional imagination.’ -- Ira I. Katznelson, Ruggles Professor of Political Science and History, Columbia University
£9.49
Profile Books Ltd The Buried: Life, Death and Revolution in Egypt
Book Synopsis'Tenacious, revelatory, and humane.' - Paul Theroux 'The Buried is the kind of book that you don't want to end and won't forget. With the eye of a great storyteller Peter Hessler weaves together history, reporting, memoir, and above all the lives of ordinary people in a beautiful and haunting portrait of Egypt and its Revolution.' - Ben Rhodes Winner of the The Peter Mackenzie Smith Book Prize 2021 In 2011, while revolution swept across Egypt, Peter Hessler was reporting on the everyday lives and ancient secrets of a country in turmoil. The result is this unforgettable work of literary and documentary brilliance. In The Buried, Hessler traces the human stories alongside the broader sweep of historic events: Tahrir Square, the massacres and the coup form the background, but so too do ancient cults, buried cities in the desert and dead pharaohs with huge ambitions. Most important are the people forging their lives in this world. We follow rubbish collector Sayyid; Arabic teacher Rifaat; and Manu, a translator. There are also the Chinese immigrants who have built a lingerie empire, politicians and ingenious archaeologists. Together, they raise the question: is revolution just repetition, or can things ever really change?Trade ReviewDrawing both from daily life and from interviews with highly placed political figures, the book is an extraordinary work of reportage ... Sensitive and perceptive * Wall Street Journal *It is both beautiful and heartbreaking ... Hessler has a genius for structuring a narrative. ... Every page is vivid and engaging, and each chapter packs in surprises. * Literary Review *Peter Hessler is one of the finest storytellers of his generation. -- Larissa MacFarquharAt once engrossing and illuminating ... this stakes a strong claim to being the definitive book to emerge from the Egyptian revolution. * Publishers Weekly *This is writing at its best and highly recommended for anyone interested in Egypt, modern or ancient. * Library Journal *Hessler introduces unexpected prisms of enquiry and the intimate perspective of an endlessly curious observer ... The book achieves a great deal. It provides outstanding reportage of the Arab Spring but, better yet, are Hessler's accounts of the people he encountered. ... this spirited, deeply insightful book. * Geographical *Original, richly layered, and often delightful reporting. Hessler has a sharp sense of humor, a gift for observation, a healthy skepticism, and a knack for using memorable characters and anecdotes to demonstrate larger truths . . . This is what reporting can be at its best: clear-eyed and empathetic, an addition to the historical record. * New York Review of Books *Hessler 'spin[s] golden prose from everyday lived experience ... The result is a small triumph, one of the best books yet written about the Arab spring. -- William Dalrymple * Guardian *Nuanced and deeply intelligent-a view of Egyptian politics that sometimes seems to look at everything but and that opens onto an endlessly complex place and people. * Kirkus Starred Review *Destined to become the title that all first-time visitors to Egypt are urged to pack. . . . Hessler is an extraordinary writer. * Foreign Affairs *The Buried is wonderfully impressive, not a conventional travel book at all, but the chronicle of a family's residence in Egypt, in a time of revolution - years of turmoil in this maddening place. And yet Peter Hessler remains unflustered as he learns the language, makes friends, puts up with annoyances (rats, water shortages, mendacity) and delves into the politics of the present and the ancient complexities. It is in all senses archeology - tenacious, revelatory, and humane. -- Paul TherouxThe Buried is the kind of book that you don't want to end and won't forget. With the eye of a great storyteller Peter Hessler weaves together history, reporting, memoir, and above all the lives of ordinary people in a beautiful and haunting portrait of Egypt and its Revolution. -- Ben Rhodes, author of The World As It is: A Memoir if the Obama White HouseIn The Buried, Peter Hessler brings to life the secret history of the Arab Spring, masterfully weaving together a memoir of his time in Cairo with the hidden, intimate lives of ordinary Egyptians. With lyrical prose, Hessler introduces us to a side of the Middle East we never see in news accounts: an enterprising garbage collector, a gay man skirting police repression, an Arabic language instructor nostalgic for the country's socialist past. These stories unfold on the backdrop of Egypt's 5,000-year-old history, as we learn about the parallels Egyptians draw to their pharaonic past. Witty and deeply humane, The Unburied is unlike any other book I've read about the Egyptian revolution, and stands as a remarkable testament to the country's extraordinary history and to the struggle for human freedom. -- Anand Gopal, author of NO GOOD MEN AMONG THE LIVING: America, the Taliban and the War Through Afghan EyesThe Buried ... is Mr. Hessler's closely observed, touching and at times amusing chronicle of this tumultuous time. Drawing both from daily life and from interviews with highly placed political figures, the book is an extraordinary work of reportage ... Sensitive and perceptive, Mr. Hessler is a superb literary archaeologist, one who handles what he sees with a bit of wonder that he gets to watch the history of this grand city unfold, one day at a time. * Wall Street Journal *It is both beautiful and heartbreaking ... Hessler has a genius for structuring a narrative. Here he has crafted a miraculously coherent arc out of several disparate themes ... Every page is vivid and engaging, and each chapter packs in surprises. * Literary Review *Peter Hessler is one of the finest storytellers of his generation. The beauty of his writing is subtle and cumulative-it gets under your skin. After his years in China, Hessler moved with his family to Cairo during the electric, chaotic days of protests in Tahrir Square. Through him, you come to know many Egyptians as he came to know them-casually, intimately, forming deepening ties. And through them you experience Egypt's turbulent recent history as it was happening, as it felt to live through it. -- Larissa MacFarquhar, author of STRANGERS DROWNINGPraise for The Oracle Bones 'One of the most profoundly original books about China * The Economist *A swirl of interconnecting stories and histories make up Peter Hessler's extraordinary, genre-defying second book * Daily Telegraph *[An] extraordinary survey of contemporary China...really quite unforgettable * The Observer *Praise for River Town 'Written with great clarity and affection, River Town should be read by anyone with any interest in finding the Chinese less inscrutable * The Times *If you read only one book about China, let it be this * Jonathan Mirsky *
£11.69
Imprint Academic The Keys to Democracy: Sortition as a New Model
Book SynopsisSortition also known as random selection puts ordinary people in control of decision-making in government. This may seem novel, but it is how the original Athenian democracy worked. In fact, what is new is our belief that electoral systems are democratic. It was self-evident to thinkers from Aristotle to the Renaissance that elections always resulted in oligarchies, or rule by elites.In this distillation of a lifetime''s thinking about the history and principles of democracy, Maurice Pope presents a new model of governance that replaces elected politicians with assemblies selected by lot. The re-introduction of sortition, he believes, offers a way out of gridlock, apathy, alienation and polarisation by giving citizens back their voice.Pope's work published posthumously grew from his unique perspective as a widely travelled English classicist who also experienced the injustice of apartheid rule in South Africa. His great mind was as much at home with the history of philosophy as the mathematics of probability.Governments and even the EU have tried out sortition in recent years; the UK, France and several countries have attempted to tackle climate change through randomly selected citizens' assemblies. The city of Paris and the German-speaking community of Belgium have set up permanent upper houses chosen by lot. Several hundred such experiments around the world are challenging the assumption that elections are the only or ideal route to credible, effective government.Writing before these mostly advisory bodies took shape, Pope lays out a vision for a government entirely based on random selection and citizen deliberation. In arguing for this more radical goal, he draws on the glories of ancient Athens, centuries of use in Venice, the success of randomly selected juries and the philosophical advantages of randomness. Sortition-based democracy, he believed, is the only plausible way to achieve each element of Abraham Lincoln's call for a democratic government "of the people, by the people, for the people".
£23.75
Verso Books Reactionary Democracy: How Racism and the
Book SynopsisDemocracy is not necessarily progressive, and will only be if we make it so. What Mondon and Winter call 'reactionary democracy' is the use of the concept of democracy and its associated understanding of the power to the people (demos cratos) for reactionary ends. The resurgence of racism, populism and the far right is not the result of popular demands, it is the logical conclusion of manipulation by the elite of the working class to push reactionary ideas. These narratives portray racism as a popular demand, rather than as something encouraged and perpetuated by elites, exonerating those with the means to influence and control public discourse through the media in particular. This has legitimised the far right, strengthened its hand and compounded inequalities.These actions divert us away from real concerns and radical alternatives to the current system. Through a careful and thorough deconstruction of the hegemonic discourse currently preventing us from thinking beyond the liberal vs populist dichotomy, this book develops a better understanding of the systemic forces underpinning our current model and its exploitative and discriminatory basis. The book shows us that the far right would not have been able to achieve such success, either electorally or ideologically, were it not for the help of elite actors like the media, politicians and academics. While the far right is a real threat and should not be left off the hook, the authors argue that we need to shift the responsibility of the situation towards those who too often claim to be objective bystanders despite their powerful standpoint and clear capacity to influence the agenda, public discourse, and narratives, particularly when they platform and legitimise racist and far right ideas and actors.Trade ReviewPraise for After Charlie Hebdo:A unique transnational take on the weaponization of liberal values after the Paris attacks. After Charlie Hebdo takes Islamophobia apart and equips us for the fight back. -- Liz Fekete, Director, Institute of Race RelationsPraise for After Charlie Hebdo:A bold, challenging and forthright collection that raises fundamental questions around issues of race and identity. -- Michael Cronin, Trinity College DublinPraise for After Charlie Hebdo:The attack on Charlie Hebdo has been a transformative event, one that presents particular challenges for freedom of speech. This insightful collection helps us to reflect on how we can develop an alternative narrative on violence, racism, and freedom of expression. -- Donatella della Porta, Scuola Normale SuperiorePraise for After Charlie Hebdo:"These essays offer stimulating perspectives on the violent paradoxes of French liberalism. For English speakers, they give valuable context to the political dynamics behind the Charlie episode." -- Nick Riemer, University of SydneyPraise for After Charlie Hebdo:"An engaging contribution to our understanding of the 2015 attacks, examining the media framing of the event and the conflict of values it created in public debate." -- Romain Badouard, University of Cergy-PontoisePraise for The Mainstreaming of the Extreme Right in France and Australia:Aurélien Mondon has written a brilliant and original book. It involves a comparative history of the French and Australian right in the longue durée and shows how the post-war extreme right parties - the Front National in France and One Nation in Australia - absorbed the inner-spirit of both nations' very different right-wing traditions and were then able to transform the rhetoric and the tone of politics, especially on questions connected to ethnicity and race, under Sarkozy in France and Howard in Australia. This work will change the way scholars view the significance of the resurgence of the populist right in Europe and beyond. -- Robert Manne, La Trobe University, AustraliaPraise for The Mainstreaming of the Extreme Right in France and Australia:In spite of their different histories and political cultures, France and Australia have been prime examples of a broader trend: the 'mainstreaming' of far right discourses and previously taboo issues associated with them. Mondon's fascinating but also sobering book shows why the far right's electoral performance is a misleading indicator of its political influence; behind it lies a more complex dynamic of ideological normalisation, which may easily serve the far right in the longer term. -- Aristotle Kallis, Lancaster University, UKPraise for The Mainstreaming of the Extreme Right in France and Australia:This book provides an original and informed study of the nature and narratives of the extreme right in two developed countries where questions of identity, immigration and the negotiation of change figure prominently in public debate. It makes a valuable contribution to comparative political analysis and will appeal to readers interested in how key populist extremist parties impact on contemporary politics and society. -- Paul Hainsworth, University of Ulster, UKFires a rescue flare warning that the threat to civil society, human rights, and democracy itself must not be ignored-before it is too late. -- Chip BerletA clever, timely interrogation of what racism truly means, and why it persists in modern liberal democracies. Everyone needs to read this. -- Angela SainiReactionary Democracy makes an important contribution to critical thought by mapping the complex ways in which racism has acquired renewed force in the contemporary conjuncture. Drawing expertly on developments in the US, UK and France, the entangled logics of liberal and illiberal racisms are carefully illuminated making transparent the complicity of liberalism with its so-called populist alternative. With liberalism's commitment to democracy compromised, Mondon and Winter boldly call for the construction of an emancipatory, transformative politics committed to ending all structures of oppression and thereby actualizing the promise of democracy for all. -- Satnam VirdeeMondon and Winter offer a razor sharp analysis of the relationship between racism and liberalism to rethink the resurgence of far right, populist politics. Ultimately, this is a hopeful book that demands more from democracy and from ourselves--only by resisting racism and other hierarchical exclusions can we hope to build egalitarian futures. -- Professor Akwugo Emejulu Department of Sociology University of WarwickA powerful account of how liberal media and political elites have colluded with far-right forces, fatally undermining the emancipatory potential of democratic systems of government. -- Imogen TylerAn impressively lucid and hard-hitting primer on some of the gravest dangers of the Western present. With unsparing clarity and nuance, Mondon and Winter delineate how vitiated and retrograde the practice of democracy is today, how it remains in thrall to elite manipulation, and how both racism and white supremacy are central to this project of control and consent. This book makes for uncomfortable reading--which is why it is so urgent and necessary. We can't afford not to hear what it has to say. -- Priyamvada Gopal, author of Insurgent EmpireIt is hard to think of a more necessary and welcome intervention than Reactionary Democracy. The mantle of 'the market place of ideas' has emboldened racism and undermined democracy. The agents of this movement have their allies, and with this book democrats and anti-racists have theirs. A powerful and compelling contribution. -- Professor Nasar Meer, FAcSS; FRSE, University of EdinburghRadical Democracy offers a sustained critical reading of the recent platforming of the populist racist right. Aurelion Mondon and Aaron Winter trace the ways in which this focus on extreme expressions draws attention away from systemic racism and the inequalities capitalism licenses and reproduces. The result is a timely analysis of the the processes and narratives enabling the reproduction of systemic racism. -- David Theo GoldbergReactionary Democracy is an important and incisive contribution to the burgeoning literature on the rise of the far-right in the U.S., France, and the U.K. Challenging the popular narrative that these movements are an inevitability, Mondon and Winter show that the Right's new found power was hardly the will of the people. The right's mainstreaming relied upon a complicit media (unable to adapt to bad-faith and racist provocateurs) and politicians willing to adopt the right's rhetoric. If you want to know how we got into this mess, and are committed to a progressive path out of it, Reactionary Democracy helps to a critical roadmap. -- Victor RayIn elaborating their argument about the mainstreaming of racism, Mondon and Winter register shifts and divergences across different national contexts, providing a thoughtful response to excitable narratives about the global rise of 'populism'. Theirs is also a ferocious, mobilising critique, properly partisan while unsparing of progressive mythologies. They point us towards what's needed to defeat the far-right, not just by engaging with its contemporary complexity and affinities, but by demonstrating incisively how it benefits from wider social and political contradictions -- Gavan TitleyReactionary Democracy is a powerful analysis of how the 'respectable' centre ground is far from innocent in the rise of the far right. Mondon and Winter show how racist ideas have been promoted not just through far right activism but also through everyday language on immigration and identity in mainstream politics and media. Drawing on examples from the US, France and the UK, they argue that elite voices are responsible for normalising anti-immigrant views and facilitating conditions exploited by a resurgent right. The book provides a much-needed health warning against the notion that liberal democracy is a natural ally against racism. By insisting that we should stop 'hyping' the far right and start challenging it, the book eloquently promotes a full-throttle anti-racism when we need it most. -- Des FreedmanReactionary Democracy is destined to be one of the indispensable books of our time, a work drawing upon the enduring debate about the causes of systemic racism. Introducing readers to the entanglement of racism and liberal democracy, this co-authored book seeks to shed new light on how these forms of power interact and the possibilities emerging in the wake of this. -- Rahel Süß * LSE Review of Books *Mondon and Winter put forward an ideological analysis that helps explain how the far-right could claim to be championing the grievances of workers while at the same time defending the interests of the wealthy. -- Paolo Gerbaudo * Jacobin *Timely. -- Beatriz Buarque * International Affairs *
£16.99
Verso Books Democracy May Not Exist But We'll Miss it When
Book SynopsisDemocracy is in crisis. In every major company it has been stole by elites or in the hands of strong men. In democracy's name we see a raft of policies that spread inequality and xenophobia worldwide. It is clear that democracy - the principle of government by and for the people - is not living up to its promise.In fact, real democracy- inclusive and egalitarian - has in fact never existed. In this urgent and engaging book, Astra Taylor invites us to re-examine the term. Is democracy a means or an end? A process or a set of desired outcomes? What if the those outcomes, whatever they may be - peace, prosperity, equality, liberty, an engaged citizenry - can be achieved by non-democratic means? Or if an election leads to a terrible outcome? If democracy means rule by the people, what does it mean to rule and who counts as the people? The inherent paradoxes are too often unnamed and unrecognized. But to ignore them is no longer possible. Democracy May Not Exist, but We'll Miss It When It's Gone offers a better understanding of what is possible, what we want, and why democracy is so hard to realize.Trade ReviewMoths never reach the moon, but they navigate by it; we humans may never reach democracy, Astra Taylor tells us, but we navigate by its ideals. This is a beautiful, revelatory book about ideas and how they matter in everyday life, by the only writer who could herself navigate so gracefully among factory workers, contemporary economics, and ancient Athenian history -- Rebecca Solnit, author of Men Explain Things to MeAstra Taylor is a rare public intellectual, utterly committed to asking humanity's most profound questions yet entirely devoid of pretensions and compulsively readable. Now she plunges deep into the crisis that underlies so many others: the sorry state (and the exhilarating promise) of this thing called democracy. At once richly historical and immediately relevant, this wise, lucid and unflinchingly honest book deserves to be at the center of public debate. -- Naomi Klein, author of No Is Not EnoughWhat a lot of trouble democracy has been! Over the years it's been hijacked by its enemies, its reforms have backfired, it has evaded challenges, it has refused to heed its prophets. But as Astra Taylor reminds us in this timely and sagacious book, there is no substitute. The fate of the world depends on it -- Thomas Frank, author of Listen, LiberalWhat is this thing called Democracy? Google the question and you will exceed one million hits. But for an honest and illuminating answer, read this book?every single word. Searching, lucid, visionary, Astra Taylor takes a deep oceanic dive into the history, meaning, uses, and promise of democracy?moving from Plato's Greece to Syriza's Greece, from the Global South to post-Communist East, from slavery to fascism, liberalism to neoliberalism, Occupy to the Commons. She knows what most political scientists don't: that democracy is a promise unfulfilled, and in our strivings to achieve it nothing is guaranteed. But we can't live without it. -- Robin D. G. Kelley, author of Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical ImaginationA brilliant, deeply learned discourse on democracy, equality, and how the second might save the first, by one of the most incisive thinkers on participatory politics today. -- Molly Crabapple, author of Brothers of the GunImpressive * New York Times *An impressive contribution to this anxious re-examination of political assumptions and practices . . .Displays considerable intellectual nimbleness -- Randall Kennedy * New York Times *A collage of people, voices, eras, and emotions-[Taylor] covers the suffering of communities as well as their triumphs in solidarity. * Vogue *Astra Taylor's new book - sequel to her brilliantThe People's Platform- is appropriately stellar. She embodies the right or rather the left sort of democratic engagement as both documentary filmmaker and critical analyst alike. Her unshakeable belief in democracy as a viable project of collective self-rule is indeed a radical act. Bring it on. -- Paul Cartledge, author of Democracy: A LifeA politically-engaged exploration, taking us far beyond the idea that democracy just means periodic elections, civil liberties...Strongly recommended * Peace News *
£24.32
Collective Ink Canceling Comedians While the World Burns: A
Book SynopsisBetween the decline of the labor movement, the aftershocks of the falls of so-called "actually existing socialism," and the long exile of even social democrats from the levers of real power, we have gotten far too used to thinking of leftism as a performative exercise in expressing our political commitments rather than a serious effort to achieve left-wing goals in the real world. Cancelling Comedians While the World Burns calls for a smarter, funnier, more strategic left.
£10.44
Collective Ink Democracy Under Siege: Don't Let Them Lock It
Book SynopsisFrank Furedi examines the frequent claim that democracy is a means to an end rather than an important value in and of itself. The prevalence of this sentiment in the current era is not surprising, given that the normative foundation for democracy is fragile, and there is little cultural valuation for this outlook. Until recently, virtually every serious commentator paid lip-service to democracy. However, in recent times the classical elitist disdain for democracy and for the moral and intellectual capacity of the electorate has acquired a powerful influence over public life. Democracy Under Siege outlines the long history of anti-democratic thought, explains why hostility to democracy has gained momentum in the current era, and offers a positive affirmation of the principle and the value of democracy.
£12.99
Ad Lib Publishers Ltd Unequal: How extreme inequality is damaging
Book SynopsisThe ongoing war in Ukraine, between freedom and totalitarianism, has been brewing since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989: the great victory of liberal democracy over communism. In recent decades, authoritarian regimes have proliferated or become emboldened – from Myanmar and North Korea to Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and, of course, China. At the same time, we have seen wildly overpriced stock markets, the emergence of decentralised finance and its associated cryptocurrencies, and the idolization of inordinately expensive things, from watches and customised trainers to rare whiskies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The decoupling of capitalism from democracy, which gathered pace in the 1990s, has fostered an economic system powered by greed alone, able to prosper in brutal dictatorships, unchecked even by the financial crisis of 2007/8. Rampant inequality, fuelled by radically increased money supply, has been the result, with a tiny fraction of the world’s population owning more than the rest put together. This inequality has incited social unrest and contributed to the undermining of faith in the institutions of the democratic state. The citizens of Western democracies have been left to the mercy of unfettered capitalism, becoming data subjects, endlessly surveilled, marshalled and polarised. Today’s extreme capitalism, promoted by Milton Friedman and others, is exemplified by its modern monopolists – Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, whose fortunes have been built on often immoral, if not illegal actions, and whose headline-grabbing antics appear to be motivated more by ego than any genuine desire to do good for humanity. In the 1990s, an understanding of social justice and an appreciation of democracy still survived, but public discourse has grown increasingly polarised and angry. The authors draw a line from the robber barons of the 1990s tech revolution to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, citing the marginalisation of democratic principles which has enabled the rise of authoritarian populists such as Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Jair Bolsonaro and, of course, Donald Trump and Boris Johnson. An unanticipated fightback in Ukraine, with support from the EU and the West, has the potential to reclaim the lost spirit of freedom inherent in liberal democracy, but will it be enough?Trade ReviewPraise for The End of Money: ‘A page-turner rich in data and steeped with evidence and insights that flow from a deep understanding of the history of financial markets . . . a must-read before you buy your next – or first – non-fungible token, Chinese banking stock or US government bond’ Professor Adrian Saville, Gordon Institute of Business Science ‘A fascinating and enjoyable read . . . interspersed with illuminating anecdotes from our recent financial history . . . makes it clear that excessive debt and extreme money creation have eroded faith in the global financial system, perhaps best symbolised by the rise of cryptocurrencies’ Michael Jordaan, business Leader and venture capitalist
£11.69
Seagull Books London Ltd The Social Life of Democracy
Book SynopsisA plea for bringing democracy to our lived daily experience written in lucid prose.TheSocial Life of Democracy is a response to the polarization of our times and the crisis in democracy being experienced across the world today. Drawing from B. R. Ambedkar’s view that democracy is not a form of government but more a form of society and mental disposition, this book argues that democracy needs to be seen as a form of social life that must be part of our everyday practice. Noting that the obstacles to realizing Ambedkar’s vision of democracy are both material and conceptual, philosopher Sundar Sarukkai critically examines the meaning of democratic action and the function of democracy in different domains ranging from homes to governments. He also examines its relation to labor, science, and religion, and analyzes the ethical processes that are central to democracy. Finally, clarifying the concepts of truth in politics and the ideas of freedom and choice, he persuasively argues in favor of bringing democracy into our everyday lives rather than leaving it exclusively in the domain of electoral politics. Table of ContentsPreface1.The Nature of Democracy2.The Concept of Democracya.Indian Model of Democracyb.Chinese Model of Democracyc.The Myth of the People3.Domains of Democracya.Democratic Selfb.Labourc.Science, Technology and Democracyd.Religion and Democracy4.The Ethical Processes of Democracya.Ethical Act of Votingb.Trusteeshipc.Creating an Experience of the Public5.Democracy and Trutha.Truth, Politics and Democracy6.Democracy and Freedom a.Freedom of Speechb.Freedom to Dissentc.The Problem about Freedom
£16.14
C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd The Death of Consensus: 100 Years of British
Book SynopsisOver Britain’s first century of mass democracy, politics has lurched from crisis to crisis. How does this history of political agony illuminate our current age of upheaval? To find out, journalist Phil Tinline takes us back to two past eras when the ruling consensus broke down, and the future filled with ominous possibilities – until, finally, a new settlement was born. How did the Great Depression’s spectres of fascism, bombing and mass unemployment force politicians to think the unthinkable, and pave the way to post-war Britain? How was Thatcher’s road to victory made possible by a decade of nightmares: of hyperinflation, military coups and communist dictatorship? And why, since the Crash in 2008, have new political threats and divisions forced us to change course once again? Tinline brings to life those times, past and present, when the great compromise holding democracy together has come apart; when the political class has been forced to make a choice of nightmares. This lively, original account of panic and chaos reveals how apparent catastrophes can clear the path to a new era. The Death of Consensus will make you see British democracy differently.Trade ReviewThe Times Politics Book of The Year 2022A Morning Star Best Book of 2022'Stylishly written … In the age of Brexit and “post-liberalism”, The Death of Consensus has much to communicate about how Britain has successfully navigated past moments of unnerving shift.' -- The Church Times
£14.24
Anthem Press NonViolence and Ecological Imperatives
Book SynopsisIn this era, when climate change is the biggest global challenge to humanity, it is crucial to investigate the relationship between humans and the environment.
£76.00
Imprint Academic The Political Potential of Sortition: A study of
Book SynopsisThe central feature of every true lottery is that all rational evaluation is deliberately excluded. Once this principle is grasped, the author argues, we can begin to understand exactly what benefits sortition can bring to the political community. The book includes a study of the use of sortition in ancient Athens and in late medieval and renaissance Italy. It also includes commentary on the contributions to sortition made by Machiavelli, Guicciardini, Harrington and Paine; an account of the history of the randomly-selected jury; and new research into lesser-known examples from England, America and revolutionary France.
£14.20
Vagabond Voices The State of Northern Ireland and the Democratic
Book SynopsisSince the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, the image projected of Northern Ireland in the mainstream media is frequently that of a newly prosperous, modern, post-conflict society - a rare example of a successful peace process. Promoted as a great place to live and work, the garden seemed to be getting rosier by the day, that is until the Stormont Assembly collapsed in 2017. Written to coincide with the twentieth anniversary of the GFA, this book argues that the seeds of recent problems were sown in the 1998 agreement. The fiasco of a Renewable Heating Incentive that overpaid participants, the lingering whiff of corruption, communities in crisis and growing poverty are all symptoms of the inherent failings of the supposed settlement. Current difficulties are more than teething problems arising from the transition from war to peace and neo-liberalism; they're the first instalment of a deeper crisis in a northern Irish state and society, which has never properly addressed the corrosive nature of sectarianism. Rather than ridding Northern Ireland of sectarianism, neo-liberalism, operating in the absence of armed conflict, has been able to accommodate and, in some instances, create a new form of sectarianism. The GFA has led to a profound democratic deficit. This book focuses on the nature of the North's new sectarian political class who are the principal beneficiaries of the GFA, but attention is also drawn to the labour movement, the plight of precarious and migrant workers, and the undermining of third sector autonomy. Behind the latter is the continuing suffering within communities still impacted by the long period of armed conflict and the evolution of republicanism and Unionism-Loyalism.Table of ContentsPrologue 3 Introduction 7 Chapter 1 - Sectarianism and Neo-Liberalism: The New Democratic Deficit 33 Chapter 2 - The Global Economy and the North of Ireland: Neo-Liberalism at Home 45 Chapter 3 - Unionism-Loyalism and the New Sectarian State 69 Chapter 4 - Northern Ireland: The Failed State 98 Chapter 5 - The Role of the "Third Sector" in Neo-Liberal Northern Ireland 124 Chapter 6 - On the Psychology of War and Conflict in the North 139 Chapter 7 - Trade Unionism in the North 150 Conclusion 163 Postscript - The Assembly Collapses 2017: The Final Curtain? 176 Bibliography 185 Acknowledgements 204 About the Authors 206
£14.20
Springer Nature Switzerland AG The Rise of Hybrid Political Islam in Turkey:
Book SynopsisThis book charts the economic, social and political rise of the Justice and Development Party (JDP) as well as its political resilience over the last sixteen years. Going beyond the standard dichotomy debate of political Islam versus secularism, the author shows how the JDP, a political party with substantial roots in political Islam, came to power in 2002 as an outcome of the socioeconomic transformation process that started in the country in the 1980s. The book further illustrates how the party consolidated its ruling power by catering to its core constituencies via a multifaceted set of policies that gave rise to the emergence of a powerful political machine. A careful analysis of the JDP’s policy agenda highlights the discrepancy between the party's discourse and its supply of policies. Furthermore, the author shows how the party has skilfully (re-)framed its ideological stance by changing alliances, and in analysing this hybrid ideological framing she presents key underpinnings of the party that paved the way to a fundamental restructuring of the Turkish party system and establishment of a new regime that replaced the old guard. This book will be of interest to academics, graduate students and researchers interested in comparative politics, political science and sociology.Table of ContentsChapter 1 - IntroductionChapter 2 - Turkish Party System through Volatile Social and Political CleavagesChapter 3 - Game Changer: Socio-Economic Transformation and Emergence of the JDP in 2002Chapter 4 - Meeting the Demands of Ordinary People: Electoral Consolidation via Catering to its Core ConstituenciesChapter 5 - Hybrid Ideology: Anchor for Electoral Consolidation and Further Entrenchment in Turkish Society and PoliticsChapter 6 - JDP and Dominant Party System in Light of the Turkish-Ottoman/Republican-Imperial CleavageChapter 7 – Conclusion
£56.24
De Gruyter The Iran National Front and the Struggle for
Book SynopsisThe Iran National Front and the Struggle for Democracy: 1949–Present explores the activities of the Iran National Front (INF). The INF is a coalition of parties, groups, and individuals and Iran’s oldest and main pro-democracy political party. This book presents a political history of the INF from 1949 to the present day. It discusses the current platform of the INF, its leadership, policies, strategies, as well as criticisms and weaknesses. The volume draws on a rich range of primary sources, INF documents, and interviews, including translated transcripts with the top leader of the INF. As it is one of the major political parties opposing the current regime in Iran, the book also examines the current situation in the country. It provides an analysis of the nature of the political systems under the Shah and the Islamic Republic.
£62.25
HarperCollins India India's Experiment with Democracy: The Life of a
Book Synopsis
£16.49
Springer Verlag, Singapore The Limits of Authoritarian Governance in
Book SynopsisThis book delves into the limitations of Singapore’s authoritarian governance model. In doing so, the relevance of the Singapore governance model for other industrialising economies is systematically examined. Research in this book examines the challenges for an integrated governance model that has proven durable over four to five decades. The editors argue that established socio-political and economic formulae are now facing unprecedented challenges. Structural pressures associated with Singapore’s particular locus within globalised capitalism have fostered heightened social and material inequalities, compounded by the ruling party’s ideological resistance to substantive redistribution. As ‘growth with equity’ becomes more elusive, the rationale for power by a ruling party dominated by technocratic elite and state institutions crafted and controlled by the ruling party and its bureaucratic allies is open to more critical scrutiny.Table of Contents1. Introduction: Authoritarian Governance in Singapore’s Developmental State.- 2. Singapore and the Lineages of Authoritarian Modernity in East Asia.- 3. Independence: The Further Stage of Colonialism in Singapore.- 4. Albert Winsemius and the Transnational Origins of High Modernist Governance in Singapore.- 5. Social Policy Reform and Rigidity in Singapore’s Authoritarian Developmental State.- 6. New Politics and Old Managerialism: Welcome to the New Normal.- 7. Intra-Party Dynamics in the People’s Action Party: Party Structure, Continuity and Hegemony.- 8. The Growing Challenge of Pluralism and Political Activism: Shifts in the Hegemonic Discourse in Singapore.- 9. PAP Vulnerability and the Singapore Governance Model: Findings from the Asian Barometer Survey.- 10. Aligning Media Policy with Executive Dominance.- 11. Pragmatic Competence and Communication Governance in Singapore.- 12. Legislating Dominance: Parliament and the Making of Singapore’s Governance Model.- 13. Governing Authoritarian Law: Law as Security.- 14. Conclusion: Democratising Singapore’s Developmental State.
£98.99
Columbia Global Reports The Lie Detectives
Book SynopsisHow can political campaigns fight back against disinformation? A decade after The Victory Lab: The Secret Science of Winning Campaigns, which Politico called “Moneyball for politics,” journalist Sasha Issenberg returns to the cutting edge of political innovation to reveal how campaigns are navigating the era’s most pressing challenge: how to win in a world awash in lies. The Lie Detectives is a lively and deep secret history of Democratic politics in the Trump years. Our main character, Jiore Craig, is a young but battle-hardened veteran of the misinformation wars, and she leads a memorable cast including LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman, whose emergence as one of the American left’s biggest donors has forced his adviser Dmitri Mehlhorn into the role of moral compass for a movement still wrestling with whether it should counter fake news by producing its own, and David Goldstein and Jehmu Greene
£12.34
Fagbokforlaget Democracy and Dictatorship
Book SynopsisWhat exactly is democracy, and how do we measure it? What constitutes a high-quality democracy, and what factors increase the risk of countries moving towards dictatorship? Does democracy matter for economic development, inequality, or education policy?The study of democracy, democratisation, and autocratic politics is not only central to comparative politics, but also to other subfields of political science such as international relations and public administration as well as disciplines such as economics, sociology and history. Democracy and Dictatorship gives an updated account of the most pressing questions preoccupying democracy researchers.This comprehensive book offers an introduction to the study of democracy and autocracy. It contains chapters on the conceptualisation and measurement of democracy and regime types, a chapter on the historical development of democracy, two chapters on proposed causes of regime stability and change, notably discussing both democratisation and autocratisation, and two chapters on several important developmental and other effects of democracy and autocracy.?The book is intended for a broad audience, notably including bachelor students being introduced to these important topics in introductory courses in comparative politics, as well as others who want an accessible and up-to-date introduction to what current research tells us about democracy and autocracy as well as their causes and consequences.
£36.65
WW Norton & Co From Voting to Violence
Book SynopsisIn his new book, Jack Snyder focuses his clear logic on a pressing issue of our times: nationalism.
£26.60
Harvard University Press Waiting for the People
Book SynopsisNazmul Sultan explores Indian contributions to democratic theory, as anticolonial thinkers developed principles of peoplehood and self-rule. Indians contested British claims that the “backwardness” of the Indian people offered a democratic justification for imperial domination.Trade ReviewA brilliant demonstration of anticolonialism’s critical contributions to the history of democratic political thought. Sultan’s historically nuanced and theoretically insightful account of how the leading thinkers and activists of India’s anticolonial struggle confronted the fraught colonial legacies of democratic developmentalism and the problem of peoplehood makes an essential contribution to contemporary democratic theory. -- Jason Frank, author of The Democratic SublimeA dazzling reconstruction of how the problem of peoplehood spurred conceptual innovations in Indian anticolonial thought. Sultan demonstrates, with style and rigor, that to answer the challenge of colonialism, Indian thinkers had to reinvent the very meaning of democracy. -- Karuna Mantena, author of Alibis of EmpireAn engaging, innovative, and wide-ranging account of the way in which anticolonial thought in India creatively reconceptualized the idea of popular sovereignty. It sheds new light on the theoretical relationship between democratic legitimation and development. -- Pratap Bhanu Mehta, author of The Burden of DemocracyAn indispensable intervention to the fields of postcolonial theory and democratic theory, Waiting for the People illustrates how the colonial construction of India’s backwardness gave rise to a very distinct dilemma for anticolonial thinkers and actors. Seeking to authorize their demands for independence in the name of the people, they found that the people had not yet arrived. Traversing a range of figures and periods in the history of Indian anticolonial political thought, Sultan tracks the innovative conceptual and institutional strategies advanced in response to this dilemma of colonial peoplehood. -- Adom Getachew, author of Worldmaking after EmpireWith dazzling insight, Waiting for the People demonstrates how Indian anticolonial thinkers reimagined democracy and popular sovereignty. A sure-footed guide through the fault lines between political thought and practical politics, this highly original work shows us the global future of democratic government. -- Rohit De, author of A People’s Constitution
£32.26
Harvard University Press The New Despotism
Book SynopsisOne day they’ll be like us. That was once the West’s complacent assumption about countries emerging from poverty, imperial rule, or communism. But many have hardened into something very different from liberal democracy: what eminent political thinker John Keane describes as a new form of despotism. And one day, he warns, we may be more like them.Trade ReviewKeane insists that only by dissecting the new despotism’s supple, but no less shady, political techniques can we understand how it renders its subjects compliant and seemingly grateful…Rich and insightful…stands out as a major contribution to contemporary debates about democracy’s prospects. He paints an unnerving portrait of a possible global future in which democracy, in any defensible sense of the term, has been demoted and marginalized. -- William E. Scheuerman * Boston Review *A brilliant re-interpretation of tyranny…There’s scarcely a reader anywhere in the Western world who won’t read Keane’s description of this new form of tyranny without a cold chill of recognition and perhaps the fear that all this insight comes too late to help…Stands out at once as a vital book for the times. -- Steve Donoghue * Open Letters Review *Keane…has long been one of the world’s most erudite, original, astute, and passionate students of democratic politics. With this latest offering he injects one hell of a scary book into an already frenzied world…Keane’s core message is clear: we democrats may abhor these new despotisms, but we cannot afford to underestimate them…Demand[s] us to stop and take a good look at what is going on around us. -- Paul ’t Hart * Inside Story *If you ever held the assumption that despotic regimes are old-fashioned, technologically ‘backwards’ countries, where old men rule over poor and uneducated people, you are in for a ride…This book will undoubtedly shift the analytical lens through which we view despotic regimes…The new despotism is less prone to implosions reminiscent of the Soviet Union or breakdowns as witnessed in Latin America. If it is that durable, it constitutes an attractive alternative to liberal democracy. This means that the self-regard, the feeling of invincibility and the arguable complacency of such democracies are misplaced. You have been warned. -- Gergana Dimova * LSE Review of Books *[A] dire and sweeping assessment…Despotism, [Keane] warns, could be the future of democracy if people don’t wake up and confront the threat. -- Colin Woodward * Washington Monthly *Important because it brings an acute understanding of democracy to focus on its potential fate…[Keane] makes a strong case in The New Despotism for the urgent need to understand this global trend…Offers not just a lively argument with numerous examples, and a rich assembly of sources through detailed endnotes, but also a writing style that commands attention. -- Glyn Davis * Australian Book Review *This new political world is brilliantly described…His definition of the changing contours of democracy is so startling…Keane teases out the way despots—although they call themselves leaders—subvert democracy to seize power and then subvert the structures of the state to hold it. They rule not as ruthless autocrats but rather by co-opting ‘the people’ to buttress and strengthen their power. -- Nicholas Stuart * Canberra Times *An original and incisive analysis of the rise of demagogue-style leaders across large parts of the world today. New-style despotism, the author shows, is distinctive to our age—less openly violent than that of the past, but more insidious, posing a threat not just in less-developed parts of the world but to the established democracies. -- Anthony Giddens, Member of the House of Lords, United Kingdom, and Fellow of King’s College, CambridgeKeane’s short book The New Despotism—drily filleting the new threats to liberal democracy—is essential. * Australian Book Review *In these dark times for democracy, the books of John Keane bring new light, refreshing perspectives, and what we need most: hope. -- Enrique Krauze, author of Mexico: Biography of Power and Redeemers: Ideas and Power in Latin AmericaJohn Keane is right to see his book as Machiavelli’s Prince for our times. His thesis that ‘despotisms are top-down pyramids of power that defy political gravity by nurturing the willing subservience and docility of their subjects’ is a caution for all times. -- Patricia Springborg, Centre for British Studies, Humboldt University, BerlinIn his new book, John Keane, one of the world’s prominent political theorists, forcefully argues that what we witness today is not simply a crisis of democracy or the return of authoritarianism but the emergence of a new type of despotism that is more effective, more subtle, and less crazy than the despotic regimes we know—and because of this, more dangerous. -- Ivan Krastev, Permanent Fellow, Institute for Human Sciences (IWM), ViennaKeane’s key point is that today’s despotic states aren’t some kind of hybrid regime on the way to democracy, or in transition or fragile. They are a new type of political rule that’s here to stay and may even live on after the collapse of Western democracies. -- Ditte Maria Brasso Sørensen * Dagbladet Information *Explores how populist leaders across the globe are holding sway on their ‘subjects,’ and offers ideas for challenging the new despots…A seminal analysis of the aberrations of democracy and the rise of what he calls ‘the new despotism.’…Drawing on his sustained engagement with democratic institutions, Keane delineates the contours of contemporary changes in a compelling manner…The linchpin of this novel form of despotism, Keane maintains, is voluntary servitude. -- Badrinath Rao * The Wire *
£21.56
Harvard University Press The Pursuit of Equality in the West
Book SynopsisDo democratic citizens have equal right to rule? Is it enough that they have equal standing before the law, or must there also be economic and social equality? Aldo Schiavone traces these questions and their diverse answers from the ancient world to the present and urges a new course to rescue democracies now suffering from excesses of inequality.Trade ReviewSchiavone has written a considered and considerable monograph, which is worthy of the magnitude of its subject-matter: equality. His knowledge of political thought is both deep and broad…and his combining of historical inquiry with conceptual work successful. -- Andreas Avgousti * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *A bold, original book—learned without ever being pedantic, engaging without being frivolous, highly personal without ever being self-referential. It takes the reader through a vast body of European literature without ever losing its way. In the end, the reader will come away with far deeper, more nuanced understanding of what ‘equality’ has come to mean over the centuries, what it should mean for us today, and what its possible future might be. -- Anthony Pagden, author of The Pursuit of EuropeSchiavone displays here extraordinary historic, legal, and philosophical knowledge, enabling him to cover the full span of Western history with great erudition. -- Roberto Esposito, author of Politics and NegationThe Pursuit of Equality in the West is one of the most richly detailed, original, and thought-provoking books I have ever read. Only Aldo Schiavone could have given us such a lucid and cogent study. -- Massimo Ciavolella, University of California, Los Angeles
£31.46
Princeton University Press By Executive Order
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the Richard E. Neustadt Award, Presidents and Executive Politics Section of the American Political Science Association""Winner of the Louis Brownlow Book Award, National Academy of Public Administration"
£25.20
